White Horse
by snarkysweetness
Summary: Grant returns from an eleven-month mission to find everything's changed.
1. Skye

**Title: **White Horse  
**Chapter 01: **Skye  
**Author:** snarkysweetness  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairing:** Skye/Grant with some Mel/Phil  
**Summary:** Grant returns from an eleven-month mission to find everything's changed.  
**Warnings:** Cavity-inducing fluff.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.  
**Author's Notes: **This is so cute and that's all I'm going to say.

A small whimper escaped Skye's lips as the sudden assault of sunlight interrupted her sleep. "No, too early," she grumbled. Didn't these people know what a rare and miraculous thing sleep was? Or how hard it was for her to come by these days? She needed her rest too.

Skye didn't care if duty was calling she was staying in bed.

"Go away, dad," she muttered as she pulled her pillow over her head and began to drift back into that sweet, sweet land of rest.

The bed shifted but Skye was so far gone she didn't even notice it. A moment later the pillow was gone and she whined loudly. She felt someone's hand on her forehead, pushing her hair away from her face, and she knew it wasn't her surrogate father's.

With a loud groan she opened her eyes to find it was mom staring down at her. She at least had the decency to look sorry for waking her.

"Sorry, baby girl, but something really important has come up."

Skye chuckled to keep from bursting into tears. "Of course because God forbid I get more than an hour of sleep, right? I'm not a machine, you know, I can't do eve-"

"Trust me, you'll thank me later."

She lifted one brow before snorting. She doubted it.

Skye shoved off her bed and threw her hair up into a loose ponytail. She didn't bother with a robe or slippers. The team had seen her in less than one of Grant's t-shirts and booty shorts and she was too goddamn drained to change.

Could a person die from fatigue?

She was sure she was going to find out sooner rather than later.

She followed May down the stairs of the house she shared. It was everything she'd ever wanted; comfortable, remote, beautiful, and most importantly it was _home_.

"This better be good, mom, because I have about fifteen minutes until-"

Skye froze on the bottom step and took in the sight in front of her. Coulson stood in the entryway with a grin on his face and behind him stood-

"Hi, sweetheart."

"Grant!"

Skye flung herself at her husband and clung to him like one of Fitz's damn monkeys. He hugged her back tightly and she buried her face in the crook of his neck and let herself cry. He'd been gone for nearly a year on an undercover mission and being away from him had literally been hell.

"I missed you too."

Skye couldn't even speak to tell him he had no idea what she'd been through since he'd left. Instead she let him carry her to the sofa where she kept her arms around his neck as she kissed every inch of his face.

"Come on Phil, let's give them some privacy."

Skye turned and got up to hug her dad tightly. "Thank you," she whispered, knowing he was behind this.

"Don't thank me, his mission is over," he whispered as he kissed the side of her head.

"Just in time for him to come home today of all days?"

He grinned. "Sometimes life works out that way."

Skye smiled and kissed his cheek. "Your present is upstairs; you're welcome. And happy-"

He shook his head. "Later, I think there are more pressing matters."

She nodded and hugged him again. A moment later she and Grant were alone and he was pulling her back into his lap and oh no, there was no time for that. Sure, it was long overdue but maybe after she'd slept a good three hours.

Skye pressed her hands against his chest and turned her head with a smile. His lips landed on her neck and she was so exhausted she actually giggled. "Come on, there's something I need to show you upstairs."

"I like the sound of that-"

"Grant, stop," she squealed as he wrapped his hands around her middle and went for her neck again.

"I'm serious!"

He flipped her onto her back and pressed her into the couch. "I haven't seen my wife in eleven-"

"Grant," she warned, giving him the serious eyes. He tried to counter with the puppy eyes they weren't going to work. She was no longer capable of being manipulated by cuteness.

He sighed and buried his face in her neck. "Fine," he grumbled before sitting up.

Skye smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Later."

"Yeah," he asked happily,

"Oh _definitely_," she promised as she took his hand and led him up the stairs.

"God, you're beautiful. I forgot how beautiful. I'm never leaving you again," he whispered as he grabbed her from behind once they reached the landing.

Skye rolled her eyes. "I told you _later_."

"It is later," he replied as he kissed her ear.

"If you're this worked at least I know you weren't seducing dames in the name of espionage," she teased.

He squeezed her before turning her around so he could cup her face. "I'd rather blow my cover and die than ever do that to you," he said seriously and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Calm down, 007, I know that," she pulled him to her and kissed him the way a man needed to be kissed after being separated from his wife for so long. Skye was lucky enough to need two hands to count all of the people she loved enough to die for and he was one of the two she would also kill for. She knew he felt the same. She wasn't worried about him betraying her in any way ever again; if he did May would destroy him.

As she pulled away she took his hand, which still held his wedding ring. His covers now always included being a widower so he could avoid women throwing themselves at him (he was such an idiot as if that stopped them). She led him towards their bedroom. "Close your eyes."

"See you keep telling me 'no sex' but-"

"Shut up," she said as she covered his eyes, knowing he would peak, he was such a big child sometimes.

"Did they tell you I was coming home? Or have you had a present waiting for me?"

Skye bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. "Who said it was a present?"

"This is a classic Skye move. This is what you do to me on every birthday. Is that what it is? A late birthday present?"

She smirked. "Let's just say it's a surprise and leave it at that."

Skye led him through the door without either of them tripping over anything and for a moment she forgot how to breathe. This was happening? She knew it had to someday but….she took a deep breath and rose on her toes to put her lips next to his ear. "Now, remember, keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them."

"Whatever you say, wife."

"And remember that I love you?"

"Not as much as I love you."

Skye chuckled. He had no idea how true that was about to be. She released him and took a few steps forward. Skye leaned down and picked up the thing she'd worked so hard on since he'd left. She slowly let out a breath before turning to him.

"Okay, you can open them."


	2. Grant

**Title: **White Horse  
**Chapter 02: **Grant  
**Author:** snarkysweetness  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairing:** Skye/Grant with some Mel/Phil  
**Summary:** Grant returns from an eleven-month mission to find everything's changed.  
**Warnings:** Cavity-inducing fluff.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.  
**Author's Notes: **This is so cute and that's all I'm going to say.

Grant wasn't sure what Skye was up to. With her it could be anything. He'd expected a bigger reaction from her when he came home. Sure, she'd been excited but…well she looked beat to hell to be honest. He wondered how hard S.H.I.E.L.D. had been working her lately. And she was…he couldn't place his finger on it but there was something different about her.

_You've been gone for almost a year, jackass, of course she's different._

He'd made it clear the Russian mission was his last long-term undercover op. He was done. Being away from Skye had been hell. He'd almost called it quits after the first month but he couldn't do that to Skye. The only thing she loved more than him was S.H.I.E.L.D. and he'd already betrayed them once.

The moment he stepped onto that plane home was the happiest in his entire life second to the day he'd somehow managed to get the universe's most perfect being to marry him.

He hoped this surprise didn't take long because he planned to keep her occupied for the next week.

"Okay, you can open them."

Grant opened his eyes expecting one of Skye's silly surprises and was met with something that knocked the wind out of him.

"Surprise?" She said nervously as she held the small bundle in her arms closer to her chest.

He took three steps forward, his eyes never leaving her arms, and enveloped her in a tight hug. "I'm never leaving your side ever again."

Skye let out a shaky sob and sighed in relief. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I-" He pulled away and searched her face. "Why would I be mad?"

She shrugged. "I could have found a way to get a message to you or talked them into pulling you out-"

He took her face in his hands and kissed her. "Don't think I believe for a second you didn't try," he whispered as he pressed his forehead to hers. He could feel the emotion welling up in his chest as he glanced down at the baby in her arms.

"Happy father's day," Skye whispered with a cheeky grin.

"Is that today?"

She laughed and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Grant this is our daughter, Ellie." He smiled. After his grandmother. "She uh…" Skye closed her eyes and fought back tears. He ran his thumb over her cheek and realized this was why she looked so worn down, she was exhausted. "It's a miracle she's still as-" Ellie fussed and Skye shook her head. "There we go, that's more like it."

"Let me," he whispered as he took the baby. It'd been a long time since he'd done this with one of his siblings but he remembered it well enough. Skye looked relieved to have the help and moved into the small rocking chair near the crib. He looked around and realized this was the old spare bedroom.

He preferred it as a nursery.

Grant glanced down at the beautiful princess in his arms and rocked her gently. "Hi, baby girl, I'm your daddy. I'm sorry we're just meeting but daddy had a dangerous arms ring to help bring down."

She whined and Skye cleared her throat. "Hand her over, that's her 'I want the tit whine'."

He grinned. "Yeah, how do you know that?"

"Because it's just like yours."

He hid a smirk and handed her back and watched them both in awe.

"When?"

Skye sighed. "I didn't figure out I was pregnant until you'd been gone a month. I thought I was just depressed because you were gone but you know Jemma, she thought I was dying or something and-" She shrugged with a smile before pressing a kiss to Ellie's forehead. "Anyway, seven months later she was here and now you're here and maybe I can get some sleep, yeah?"

Grant ran his fingers through Skye's hair before pressing a kiss to her temple. "God, you're both miracles." He was sorry he'd missed everything but this was the reality of working for a spy organization. Skye was the strongest person he knew. She bled and breathed S.H.I.E.L.D. and now this?

"The team, they've been helping?"

"Yeah but…" she shrugged. "No one tells you how hard it is to do this alone until you have to."

"Skye-"

"Don't," she said as she met his eyes. "I know what the job is, Grant. If you'd known you'd have come home, I know that. And I could have…begged and we both know Coulson would have given me what I wanted but the job is more important than us. And besides, your home now, that's what matters to me. I don't think I could have handled you not coming home. That's the part I hate, not you being gone, the danger."

He pressed his lips to her forehead again and wrapped his arms around the two of them. "I love you so much, Skye."

She leaned into him. "We love you too."

After both of his girls fell asleep he carried them to bed where he held Ellie to his chest with one arm and Skye against his side with the other. All of his best memories were because of Skye but this one was by far the best.


End file.
